Acadia National Park
 

My husband and I will be traveling from Boston to Acadia National Park in mid-September for our first visit to Maine. We also want to visit some of the coastal towns along the way there and / or on the way back. Our flight to Boston arrives at 1:00 PM on a Wednesday and then we will then pick up our rental car to head to Maine. We have five nights to see Acadia and some of the Coast. My husband and I are both in our early fifties and want to do some hiking and biking in Acadia , as well as spend some time driving to see the scenery both in Acadia and a little of the coastal area North of Acadia. If we have time, we want to do a whale watching tour(are they around this time of year?) or an afternoon sail. After researching towns to stay, it seems the most convenient and popular place to stay is Bar Harbor. We are not necessarily looking for the most touristy place to stay, but would like to be convenient to driving or biking to park, as well as walking (or short drive) to some good restaurants. Our idea of a great evening is watching the sun go down with a martini and walking to a great place to eat. Would Southwest Harbor be just of good an option than Bar Harbor.? Or does anyone have any other suggestions? We would like to spend no more that $125 to $150 a night. It can be self catering or B & B or hotel.
My next question is this. If we land at 1:00 (if on time) and get our car, we would be looking at an arrival time of 7:00 PM if we drive straight to Acadia. As much as I would rather get there the first night, it would probably be more relaxing to have a 2 1/2 hour drive up the road to one of the scenic coastal towns. Be able to walk around, watch the sun go down and have a nice dinner, We could then leisurely drive up the Acadia the next morning. It seems we need at least 3 nights around Acadia to do want we want to do and have down time. We could then spend our last night at another town on the coast a little closer to Boston (would like to be no longer than a 2 hour drive from the airport). Our flight is at 2:45 PM the following Monday.
I realize I am rambling. I need to make a decision on whether to get straight to Acadia and do our coastal touring the last 2 days on the way back to Boston. Or do 1 night on way up, and one night back down. I am thinking about whether it is better being in certain places on weekdays, week nights, weekends, etc. as far as traffic and crowds and driving are concerned. I am over thinking this!
Thanks for everyone's input on the Fodor's site!

We stayed in Southwest Harbor and were so glad we did! Bar Harbor is soooo touristy. It's fun to visit but we loved the Southwest Harbor area and especially the bed and breakfast we stayed in - Harbour Cottage Inn. We loved sitting on the front porch in the afternoons and watching the sunsets and you are in walking distance to several great restaurants. We went in mid September also and the weather was glorious!

With a l:00 pm arrival, luggage retrieval and car rental -- I would think you would be on the road north around 2:30 at the best. Might be best to stay for first night in Belfast -- small, cute coastal town...also it will be less expensive than Bar Harbor/Southwest Harbor. You will have difficulty finding anything less than $200. Get an early start l l/2 hrs to Acadia. Stay in Acadia two nights, drive south to Camden or Boothbay Harbor, then the last night perhaps in Portsmouth New Hampshire or Newburyport Ma -- both lovely. Great beach to stroll in Sept in Newburyport, beautiful old homes.

Just so you know, the "scenic coastal roads" don't get you from one destination to another, they get you out to the end of a point of land. Rt 1, for instance, really doesn't offer much in the way of scenery.

~Liz

Rt 1 goes along the coast but doesn't have views most of the way - for that you need to get on even smaller roads (1A, Rt 9). Between York and Portland are a couple of nice towns: Ogunquit and Kennebunkport. Portland is also a very worthwhile stop, a really nice small city on the water with great food. I would definitely spend the first afternoon in this area and stay no further north than Portland. There is a lot more to Maine than just Acadia, it would be a shame to just blow past it.

The second day en route to Acadia you might want to stop in Camden/Rockland area. A lot of people like the Boothbay Harbor area but that requires more of a detour since it's out on a peninsula.

As far as Acadia itself, Bar Harbour is very touristy but it's also where most of the restaurants and choices of places to stay are located. I think it really empties out after Labor Day so mid September it might be OK. I was last up there in July last year - and mid week about half the hotels had vacancy signs so by mid September you should be able to find something in your price range. I think we stayed in a Comfort Inn or similar and I know it was well under $200 and that was in July.

Here's a link to a mini trip report and link to my photos - http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...s-and-tips.cfm

Thank you all for all of the suggestions. The Camden/Rockport area and Portland were on my list. Southwest Harbor does sound like more our speed than Bar Harbor. Belfast was not on our list, but looks like an interesting option. A little bit farther than we had wanted to drive if stopping for the first night, but it might work out. After discussing plans with a friend who visited these areas last year, I am tempted to play it by ear depending on the weather. Many of the things they had planned to do in Acadia were cancelled due to fog and rain. They ended up staying only 2 nights instead of 3. I always plan my trips thoroughly with secure hotel reservations, but I think I am willing to wing it. After reading about being able to get a room in peak season, maybe I should not be so meticulous in planning where and when. My sailor instincts are coming out! Go where the weather is nicest! If it looks like the weather is good on the front end, I would not mind making the long drive the first night.

Maybe I should start a new thread on this next question. Many of my trips have been planned around where I wanted to eat. The hotel is only picked after that is decided. If you were making this drive and had five nights to eat great seafood, where would you eat? We want to eat like the locals. We want to enjoy New England seafood. Thanks again for any tips!

I would stay in Rockland rather than Belfast. Belfast is cute, but Rockport has the Farnsworth Museum and is also a cute little town. Waterman's is in S. Thomaston and is a wonderful place to sit outside and eat lobster. U would need to check its days/hours that time of the year. Many people love Primo - we thought it was ok, but weren't overly impressed.

Definitely prefer SWHarbor to Bar harbor -- it is way more charming tourists or no tourists. The drive to the park and lots of the hiking etc is like 20 minutes and its a lovely drive anyway.

Choices of places to eat in Portland are plentiful. I esp like Fore Street and Carmen's which just opened this Spring/summer. But lots of places to choose from.

I think you'll be fine playing it by ear. Also think you can find places in SWHarbor for under $200.
Have a great trip!

I would have definite reservations if I were you - that's leaf peeping season. Harbour Cottage is already low on rooms. Also, Camden is a place you don't want to miss. Such a charming little town.

My husband & I went to Maine the 1st 2 weeks in September last year before the leaf peepers showed up. Perfect timing. We stayed in SW Harbor & was so glad we did. Toured NE Harbor but seemed there were more restaurant choices in SW & not quite as upscale. It was just a short 20 min. drive over to Acadia. We too are in our 50's & was there for hiking & biking. We also enjoyed Schoodic Penisula. Beautiful!!
We enjoyed Camden over Boothbay Harbor & really enjoyed hiking in Camden State Park & Mt. Battie. We stayed in Lincolnville just north of Camden at Bay Leaf Cottages & highly recommend. Jane was a wonderful hostess & her dog was adorable. She was a wealth of information& a great value. Try & make time for Cellar Door Winery.
We enjoyed the mailboat cruise of the Casco Islands in Portland..great bargain. Acadia is wonderful & we enjoyed walking around Bar Harbor but glad we didn't stay there. Great, great hiking. We look forward to returning someday & hiking some great trails we didn't have time for. Lots of great biking along the carriage roads too.